Index



i Patented Dec. 18, 1928.

' 'vnoB'En'r' o; RUSSELL off-rimrsuaem rENNsYLvANiAjf (INDEX.

' v.lippiicatvirmiiii/'a1 March 5; 192s. f seriai 110.552.489'.

This invention relates toimproveinents in indexes and morepartioularly to --those ofv Vthe type which havebecoinelrnown in the art as visible indexes.

5, f One object of my present invention is `to soconstructthe index stripsV or elements? of a visible index that they shall lie flat; becompactly assembled; sc .that the strips or index Figure 2 isa sectionalvview ,-onfthe' line 2 2 ofFigure 1; i y K y I Figure 2&1 is a sectional view on the line 2a-2 of Figure 1;

index elements orV strips;

Figure fl is a view of an index elementorv strip adapted to receive more than a single 30 line of index data.

Fig. 5 is a View showing aconneoted seriesv l of index elements or strips.

My improved in-dex includes a plurality of` holders for receiving the strips or index elements. 'One such holder is indicated at 1 and n Vit may bemade of metal inthe form of a slide, drawer orvleaf andcomprises a base 2 provided at its upper end with a shoulder 3 and. at its lower end? with an overlying flange 3a. yAtt the sides of .said base are flanges 4 which" overlie side portions of said base and are spaced from the latter to provide guides j n previouslyv inserted index element and so or ways 5 to receive end portionsof index strips or elements 6 on which any suitable duced. f u v v Each index strip or element 6 (which may be made of card or other ysuitable material) is sufliciently flexible and elastic' topermit the l index data maybe written Vor otherwise proready `insertion of its endvl portions into the` guideways 5 orremoval of the same therefrom and to enable the said index elements to lie flat in the holder. The end portions of the index elementsshould; be caused to be disposed in the guideway with suflicient elements shall be readilymovable `or remov;

Figure 3 is a separate view of one ofthe loosene'ss to permit said elements to beread-A ily moved ina plane substantially parallel with the face of the holder.

Each index elementcomprises'an intermediate or body portion 7, end members 8 S, and anv elongated tongue 9' l(preferably having-beveled ends as at 9a) projecting .up-

wardlyfrom the upperedge of the body por- Y tion 7 of the element and having beveled or inclined upper edge portionsfin-dicated atylO.

The upper portionsv of the end members 8, 8,

are in .falinement with the bodyportion'7 and dependbelow ther plane` of the .lower edge ofthe lattertoform'depending tongues 115 the outer end of which Vmay b e beveled as at 12 and the inner end beveled or rounded, as .at 13, while the Llower edge of eachtongue 'i 11 may-be beveled` asat 14. The intermediate :body portion vand the upper portions of the jendmei'nbers of eachindex member receive a lin'eofindex matter as clearly shown in Figure 1;.. `Itwill be understood however,

that the portions l7 and-8 ofye'achlindexelementmmay be madesufficient in width to racl commodate a plurality of lines o f index data.

In Figure 5 an index element 6a adapted for the receptionof two lines of index data, is illustrated.

A number of connected index elements 6 maybe cutV from a single sheet, as shown'in F igureV 5,- so that the typewritingof the index data on the elements may be facilitated,

and the elements 6 may be afterwards separated and ready .forinsertionVV into the hold` Ininserting the index elements into the holder7 the 'end portions of a strip constituting an index elementwill first be slipped intol that the 'body portion .7 of the index element beingl inserted vwill become disposed in front of the elongated tongue 9 of the nextlowe'r index element.v The roundedinner-ends 13 ofr y the tongues ll cooperating with the beveled ends 9a of the tongue 9 of an adjacentelement 6 willv facilitate the insertion of said tongues 11 behind portions 8 of an adjacent element,

- and by beveling the upper edge port-ion of the4 tongue 9 of an index element, the disposing I y j of the portion 7 of an upper element 6 in front of said tongue 9 will be facilitated.

It will be understood that when the index elements are assembled in the holder, they will be supported by eaeh other and there will be an intermeshing of the several index ele- Y ments. The index elements will lie flat;y they are oompaetly arranged; one or any desired number of them may be readily moved relatively to the others to permitthe insertion oi' a new strip or element andthen moved to normal assembled position, and any one or more of the index elements may be removed trom the holder and replaced by new Ones as occasion may require.

I-Iaving fully described my invention what I ela-im asvnew and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

` 1. In an index, a series ot index elements, eaeh Comprising a body portion, end members, a tongue above said body portion,1and

tongues depending from said end membersA bers or' `said lower element to rest upon they same, said last mentioned tongues having beveled'inner ends, and said first mentioned tongue having beveled ends.

v 3. In an'index, aY series of index elements, each Comprising a bodyV portion, end members, a tongue above said body portion, and tongues depending from said'end members tobeengaged behindvthe end members ot' a lower element andinterloel the series .of ele'- ments, said last mentioned tongues having beveled'inner ends and beveled lower edges.

4l. In anindex, a 'series-oi: index elements, each comprising a body portion, end members, a tongue above saidbodyV portion to en'-V gage behind thebody portion ot an upper` index element,'and tongues .dependingf'trom said end members, vsaid lastV mentioned tongues having beveled inner ends Tand the upper edge of said irstmentioned tongue being beveled. i f Y 5. In an index, the. combination, of a pluralityfof movableindex ele-ments, each eomprising a body portion, end members, a

'tongue above said body portion and disposed behind the body 'portion of an upper index element, and tongues depending from they end members of each index element and entering .behind end members of a lower index element, each aceo-eaoh element. being in a single plane throughout its extent. y i

.In testimony whereo,I vhave signed this specification.

ROBERT o. RUSSELL. 

